MONOPOLY!!!!

What a sweet way to wrap up the Great Depression! I swear, this teacher is full of ideas! Tuesday the students learned about the history of Monopoly (Yes the board game!) since it was invented during the Great Depression. Today, the students were asked to bring in Monopoly games so that they could play in class. The classes split up into groups of 4s and went at it!

**Daily geography was interesting this week because it was a map of NBA basketball teams across the USA. The questions were all about team locations and such. It was strange because these kids did not grow up during the Age of THE Chicago Bulls & Michael Jordan. Sure, they know hes great, but they never really got to witness it! They were born around 1991/1992. This makes me feel so old! ha ha. I guess its comparable to my generation missing out on the '85 Bears =( Anywho, the students were interested in the map because they like basketball!**

During first hour, I joined 2 girls who needed more people to form a group. The three of us played Disney Monopoly (so cute!). The students had to pay some attention to how the game related to the Great Depression and write a couple of sentences for the next class. The game also teaches students how to give change, manage money, and become rich! ha ha. It was also nice to work more one on one with a couple students. I got to know their personalities a little better.

In second hour, I joined 2 boys who needed a group. We set up the board and had a lot of fun. Again, it was nice to work in smaller groups with the students and relate to them better. The boys had a good time, especially buying property and such. It was too bad that our time was limited because the students were really getting into it. Of course Monopoly could last for days, but another half an hour or so would have been fun =) The students get along great and are capable of working independently. The ESL students worked in one group with the teacher. I thought maybe they could have been split up and included more with the other students. They seem to have a descent grasp on the game, and it would have benefitted them to be with fellow classmates instead of the teacher. I didnt like that they were grouped together. I also heard the same change in the teachers tone of voice as she worked with the students. It was slower, higher pitched, and it just seems demeaning. Maybe its just me...but after knowing how it feels to be separated and talked down to on Tuesday, I can imagine how those students felt.

We only have a few more hours of observations left, so it was nice to end on a fun note!